Press Release: Fleur Du Cape Theatre Award Winners Announced

The highly anticipated 49th annual Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards, supported by the Distell Foundation, was held at the Baxter Theatre last night, Sunday 16 March 2014. The event, as always, was a glamourous, sparkling affair, attended by the Who’s Who of the South African theatre scene.

The onstage entertainment, following a street vibe theme, was directed by Lara Bye and featured iconic performers Dorothy Masuka accompanied by guitarist Bheki Khoza, the Cape Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, the Ubuntu B-Boys, and an ensemble of dancers in a vibrant pantsula number choreographed by the former Artistic Director of Jazzart, Jackie Manyaapelo. The MC’s for the night, the hilarious comedian Alan Committie and talk show host Africa Melane, were a slick combination, presenting the onstage ceremony with flair, charm and wit.

Rooiland, a prison gang drama, picked up five awards, for Brendon Daniels as Best Lead Actor in a Play, Charlton George for Best Supporting Actor in a Play, Jaco Bouwer for Best Director and Best Lighting Design, and Tertius Kapp for Best New South African Script. The Rocky Horror Show, presented by Eric Abraham and the Fugard Theatre, received three awards, for Brendon van Rhyn as Best Lead Actor in a Musical, Andrew Laubscher as best Supporting Actor in a Musical and for Daneel van der Walt as Best Supporting Actress in a Musical. The Miser, a comedy directed by Sylvaine Strike, won the award for Best Supporting Actress in a Play for Patricia Boyer and Best Costume Design for Sarah Roberts. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to the prolific Playwright and Director Nicholas Ellenbogen.

The Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards, first established in 1965 at the Three Leaf Awards, is widely recognised as one of South Africa's premier events and is high on the Mother City’s cultural calendar every year. Each Fleur du Cap Theatre Award is valued at R15,000, and is given along with a beautiful silver medallion to outstanding individuals for theatre excellence, specifically focusing on professional theatre productions staged in the Cape Town Metropole and surrounds. For a production to qualify, a run of a minimum of eight performances over a period of three weeks at the same venue is required.

The judges for the 2013 productions were Africa Melane, Coreen Lloyd, Dr Beverley Brommert, Dr Gabriël Botma, Gillian Mitchell, Herman van der Westhuizen, Jill Markram, Len Ashton, Mariana Malan, Marina Griebenow, Peter Tromp, Rone Arendse, Johan van Lill, Eugene Yiga and Tracey Saunders.

Awards are presented in twenty different categories and this year the panel of judges made their decisions after having viewed almost 84 productions, hosted in several venues in and around Cape Town. The full list of winners is as follows:

1. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR IN A PLAY

Brendon Daniels for Rooiland as Adidas

2. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Jennifer Steyn for The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore as Flora “Sissy” Goforth

3. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A PLAY

Charlton George for Rooiland as Pastoor

4. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A PLAY

Patricia Boyer for The Miser as Frosine and Master Jacques

5. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW

Brendan van Rhyn for The Rocky Horror Show as Frank-N-Furter

6. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW

Angela Kilian for Sunset Boulevard as Norma Desmond

7. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW

Andrew Laubscher for The Rocky Horror Show as Riff Raff

8. BEST PERFORMANCE BY A SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL OR MUSIC THEATRE SHOW

Daneel van der Walt for The Rocky Horror Show as Magenta

9. BEST PERFORMANCE IN A REVUE, CABARET OR ONE-PERSON SHOW

Phillip Dikotla for Skierlik as various characters

10. AWARD FOR MOST PROMISING STUDENT

Dean John Smith [University of Stellenbosch]

11. BEST DIRECTOR

Jaco Bouwer for Rooiland

12. BEST LIGHTING DESIGN

Jaco Bouwer for Rooiland

13. BEST SET DESIGN

Craig Leo for Voices Made Night

14. BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Sarah Roberts for The Miser

15. BEST SOUND DESIGN, ORIGINAL MUSIC COMPOSITION OR ORIGINAL SCORE

James Webb for Die Laaste Karretjiegraf (Sound Scape)

16. BEST PUPPETRY DESIGN

Janni Younge for Sadako

17. BEST NEW SOUTH AFRICAN SCRIPT

Tertius Kapp for Rooiland

18. ROSALIE VAN DER GUCHT PRIZE FOR NEW DIRECTORS

Penelope Youngleson

AWARD FOR INNOVATION IN THEATRERSG

Radio Kunstefees

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Nicholas Ellenbogen

The Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards is an initiative of the Distell Foundation that forms part of Distell’s Corporate Social Investment Programme, which is dedicated to support the development of the creative arts industry in South Africa.

The 50th Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards will be held in grand style at the Artscape Opera House in 2015.

For media enquiries and images please call Allison Foat on 0836356312 / 0214627384 or allison@divapr.co.za.